A local athletic institution which helped spark the dream of one local Olympian will be celebrating a special moment this weekend.
The Quinte Rowing Club (QRC) is marking a major milestone as it celebrates its 40th anniversary with a special Open House & Learn-to-Row Info Day this Saturday from 10am-noon at their location – 35 Keegan Parkway in Belleville.
Founded in 1986, the club began as a small group of passionate rowers determined to bring the
sport to the region. Today, QRC has grown into a vibrant organization offering programs for all
Quinte residents including youth and adults, and newcomers discovering rowing for the first time.
They also have a very special footnote in the journey of a local hero and one of their most famous Alumni, Olympic gold medal-winner Brian Price.
As he was inducted into the Belleville Sports Hall of Fame in 2018, it was noted that Price, who led Canada to a Gold Medal in Men’s Eights rowing in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, joined the Quinte Rowing Club in 1995 after starting his career in rowing while at Quinte Secondary School.
Three years after he joined the Quinte Rowing Club, he would move on to the national rowing team, and a career that would include 3 Gold Medals in the World Rowing Championships, 5 Gold, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze Medal in the World Rowing Cup, a Gold Medal at the Olympics in 2008 and a silver in 2012.
For forty years, the Quinte Rowing Club has helped foster a love for the sport, for fitness and for a greater appreciation of the natural beauty of local waterways.
Not everyone who gets their start there will become an Olympic champion, but 31 years ago that journey did begin for Brian Price, showing the club’s potential to make a positive impact by simply placing an oar in a young person’s hands.
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